(CNN) Special counsel Robert Mueller has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for allegedly meddling in the 2016 presidential election, charging them with conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Department of Justice has announced.
In addition, three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five defendants with aggravated identity theft.
Mueller has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election as well as any connections between Russia and Trump campaign associates.
Beginning as early as 2014, the Russian organization Internet Research Agency began operations to interfere with the US political system, including the 2016 elections, according to the indictment, which was released by Mueller’s office Friday.
The defendants allegedly posed as US persons, created false US personas, and operated social media pages and groups designed to attract US audiences, the indictment reads.
BREAKING: Special counsel Robert Mueller indicts 13 Russian nationals for US election meddling https://t.co/Syw4ZVotVC https://t.co/9oD42OmEMM
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 16, 2018
The Internet Research Agency had a “strategic goal to sow discord in the US political system” including the election, according to the indictment.
Russians posted “derogatory information about a number of candidates,” and by mid-2016 they supported Trump and disparaged Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. They bought ads and communicated with “unwitting” people tied to Trump campaign and others to coordinate political activities.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will announce the multiple indictments against Russian nationals and entities Friday afternoon, according to a Justice Department source.
https://twitter.com/maddow/status/966422252827922435
https://twitter.com/CNN/status/966102930981117952
https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/966047634334117888
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/966023305684758532
https://twitter.com/big_cases/status/966015071376855040
https://twitter.com/wesley_jordan/status/965792562844848128
https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/965979538625892353
https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/965957651543846913
https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/965957966213140480
BREAKING NEWS!
https://twitter.com/ZoeTillman/status/965951888935018497
BREAKING…..
https://twitter.com/3ChicsPolitico/status/965347606900637701
https://twitter.com/PoliticusSarah/status/964693726709846016
https://twitter.com/axios/status/965244544878043137
uh huh
uh huh
https://twitter.com/funder/status/964882772291719169
uh huh
uh huh
https://twitter.com/riotwomennn/status/964904272411418624
https://twitter.com/TheBeatWithAri/status/964862525014724608
Another good thread
https://twitter.com/benjaminwittes/status/964851242253078528
Thread
https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/964599153014734849
uh huh
https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/status/964692470662615040
Traitors
https://twitter.com/Our4thEstate/status/964666473892360192
uh huh
uh huh
https://twitter.com/Sifill_LDF/status/964565466118111232
https://twitter.com/TeaPainUSA/status/964621542456995840
https://twitter.com/axios/status/964897839905157121
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/964894479659487233
https://twitter.com/business/status/964826623601270784
https://twitter.com/BY1959/status/964876063766732800
https://twitter.com/4everNeverTrump/status/964839827328745472
https://twitter.com/just_security/status/964689734172921857
Former US Attorney said to not be surprised if Bobby Three Sticks goes into court and ASKS THAT MANAFORT BE HELD IN JAIL UNTIL TRIAL.
No more bail for you, Paulie Walnuts!
Bobby Three Sticks dropped MORE charges on Manafort tonight!
BWA HA H AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/964565198756564994
https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/964568167778484224
Mark Corallo, former spokesperson for Trump’s legal team, spoke with Robert Mueller’s team on Thursday for over two hours, two people familiar with the matter told The Daily Beast. https://t.co/atPOndy9j5
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 16, 2018
From Silverman at BJ:
There are actually five parts to what Special Counsel Mueller and his team are investigating. They are:
1) Russian interference in the election. This includes the hacking and phishing, the troll farms and the bots. The Russian deployed human and signals and electronic intelligence. Basically the active measures and cyberwarfare campaign to influence the American electorate in order to prevent Hillary Clinton from being elected president and to ensure that Donald Trump was elected president. And, perhaps, suppressing enough of the vote by various means to ensure that the Democrats couldn’t flip the Senate and/or the House.
2) What, if any, connections exist between the Trump campaign, including surrogates, as well as other campaigns such as Jill Stein’s, and any other Americans and/or American organizations with the Russians to influence the American electorate in order to prevent Hillary Clinton from being elected president and to ensure that Donald Trump was elected president. And, perhaps, suppressing enough of the vote by various means to ensure that the Democrats couldn’t flip the Senate and/or the House.
3) Whether the President and/or others conspired to and/or actually tried to cover up the second item above in order to frustrate both the counterintelligence and criminal investigations.
4) The financial crimes investigation into the President’s, his children’s, his son in law’s, his son in law’s family’s, and many of the President’s associate’s (Felix Sater and Michael Cohen for instance) businesses that have been uncovered as a result of the counterintelligence and criminal investigations.
5) Any other criminality that is subsequently discovered as a result of the investigation.
Elijah Cummings on Russia indictments:
“This is the criminal conspiracy. This is what President Trump and his allies have repeatedly called a ‘hoax’ and ‘fake news.’ This is what they tried to cover up.” pic.twitter.com/yObB2pdcF3
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) February 16, 2018
It grates on my nerves to no end, and I only wish everyone would stop using the title/prefix ‘president’ in connection with a treasonous impostor desecrating the People’s House, and play-acting at a badly cobbled together grade school spoof of an SNL sketch of the dumb ‘american’ ‘president’..
Very important thing Mueller showing in the indictment:
He views Russian election help as a campaign finance law violation.
That’s very bad for any American who knowingly accepted such help.
— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) February 16, 2018
Say! Chimp and Company! Po Po’s comin’!!
NOT once did #45 say anything about Russia fucking with our elections, it’s all about him and his innocence.
45**
https://youtu.be/IDe4L32n1Cc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GM7wLno_pk
How come the media has not blatantly asked #45 why he has not formally sat down with appropriate intel and congress to address the RUSSIAN HACKING OF THE 2016 LECTIONS?
Answer: HOAX..
FYI #45, INDICTMENTS DON’T VINDICATE PEOPLE, THEY CHARGE PEOPLE.
Fox & friends, and other GOP right wingers are getting those talking points together and handing them off to #45.
“No collusion, etc.
There’s an insider min the Mueller indictments.
No one cares about #45 taking off for Florida, nor his LYING tweets and denial
Shooting or not, he was already going to Florida – it’s now an every weekend kinda deal …the endless grifting on taxpayer dollars is something else…
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DU5_5uTXUAERsTr.jpg
THREAD….
https://twitter.com/TAPSTRIMEDIA/status/964562644178034688
Let’s also mention that these dirty ass Russians tried to suppress minority voters
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/964588224202100736
#45, this orange MOFO needs to BEGONE, like yesterday.
https://twitter.com/MalcolmNance/status/964562853524070402
https://twitter.com/TAPSTRIMEDIA/status/964559373019303936
https://twitter.com/ChrisVanHollen/status/964584576789241862
https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/964558562780381184
And NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING could be more of a HOAX than that orange POS #45 masquerading as POTUS.
ALSO TOO!
https://twitter.com/NBCPolitics/status/964583034858168325
Robert Mueller coming for THAT ASS! #13Russian
For your weekend enjoyment:
https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/964567176148496385
https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/964564350429167621
Ted Lieu is hilarious..
Who knew it’d take something so treasonous and tragic to discover that..
Have to add that I’m grateful that he’s no shrinking violet …that he’s gone against grain and refuses to be treated as if he isn’t a full-fledged citizen of this country with rights and opinions he freely exercises – and is completely within his rights to share …like every other citizen of this country..
https://twitter.com/EricHolder/status/964567875846483969
Yes, who are the “ACTORS” in this country?
LOOKIE! Still think there wasn’t any Russians meddling in the 2016 election, #45?
And the info is showing the Russians who were indicted used THIRD PARTY THUGS to muddy the election process
LOOKIE HERE:
THIS HEIFFER RGHT HERE